The present invention is directed to improvements in methods and apparatus for decompression which operates to decompress and/or decode a plurality of differently encoded input signals. The illustrative embodiment chosen for description hereinafter relates to the decoding of a plurality of encoded picture standards. More specifically, this embodiment relates to the decoding of any one of the well known standards known as JPEG, MPEG and H.261.
A serial pipeline processing system of the present invention comprises a single two-wire bus used for carrying unique and specialized interactive interfacing tokens, in the form of control tokens and data tokens, to a plurality of adaptive decompression circuits and the like positioned as a reconfigurable pipeline processor.
Video compression/decompression systems are generally well-known in the art. However, such systems have generally been dedicated in design and use to a single compression standard. They have also suffered from a number of other inefficiencies and inflexibility in overall system and subsystem design and data flow management.
Examples of prior art systems and subsystems are enumerated as follows:
One prior art system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,724. The apparatus comprises a plurality of compute modules, in a preferred embodiment, for a total of four compute modules coupled in parallel. Each of the compute modules has a processor, dual port memory, scratch-pad memory, and an arbitration mechanism. A first bus couples the compute modules and a host processor. The device comprises a shared memory which is coupled to the host processor and to the compute modules with a second bus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,349 discloses a full motion color digital video signal that is compressed, formatted for transmission, recorded on compact disc media and decoded at conventional video frame rates. During compression, regions of a frame are individually analyzed to select optimum fill coding methods specific to each region. Region decoding time estimates are made to optimize compression thresholds. Region descriptive codes conveying the size and locations of the regions are grouped together in a first segment of a data stream. Region fill codes conveying pixel amplitude indications for the regions are grouped together according to fill code type and placed in other segments of the data stream. The data stream segments are individually variable length coded according to their respective statistical distributions and formatted to form data frames. The number of bytes per frame is withered by the addition of auxiliary data determined by a reverse frame sequence analysis to provide an average number selected to minimize pauses of the compact disc during playback, thereby avoiding unpredictable seek mode latency periods characteristic of compact discs. A decoder includes a variable length decoder responsive to statistical information in the code stream for separately variable length decoding individual segments of the data stream. Region location data is derived from region descriptive data and applied with region fill codes to a plurality of region specific decoders selected by detection of the fill code type (e.g., relative, absolute, dyad and DPCM) and decoded region pixels are stored in a bit map for subsequent display.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,341 discloses a method for scene-model-assisted reduction of image data for digital television signals, whereby a picture signal supplied at time is to be coded, whereby a predecessor frame from a scene already coded at time t-1 is present in an image store as a reference, and whereby the frame-to-frame information is composed of an amplification factor, a shift factor, and an adaptively acquired quad-tree division structure. Upon initialization of the system, a uniform, prescribed gray scale value or picture half-tone expressed as a defined luminance value is written into the image store of a coder at the transmitter and in the image store of a decoder at the receiver store, in the same way for all picture elements (pixels). Both the image store in the coder as well as the image store in the decoder are each operated with feed back to themselves in a manner such that the content of the image store in the coder and decoder can be read out in blocks of variable size, can be amplified with a factor greater than or less than 1 of the luminance and can be written back into the image store with shifted addresses, whereby the blocks of variable size are organized according to a known quad tree data structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,875 discloses an apparatus for encoding/decoding an HDTV signal. The apparatus includes a compression circuit responsive to high definition video source signals for providing hierarchically layered codewords CW representing compressed video data and associated codewords T, defining the types of data represented by the codewords CW. A priority selection circuit, responsive to the codewords CW and T, parses the codewords CW into high and low priority codeword sequences wherein the high and low priority codeword sequences correspond to compressed video data of relatively greater and lesser importance to image reproduction respectively. A transport processor, responsive to the high and low priority codeword sequences, forms high and low priority transport blocks of high and low priority codewords, respectively. Each transport block includes a header, codewords CW and error detection check bits. The respective transport blocks are applied to a forward error check circuit for applying additional error check data. Thereafter, the high and low priority data are applied to a modem wherein quadrature amplitude modulates respective carriers for transmission.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,325 discloses a video decompression system for decompressing compressed image data wherein odd and even fields of the video signal are independently compressed in sequences of intraframe and interframe compression modes and then interleaved for transmission. The odd and even fields are independently decompressed. During intervals when valid decompressed odd/even field data is not available, even/odd field data is substituted for the unavailable odd/even field data. Independently decompressing the even and odd fields of data and substituting the opposite field of data for unavailable data may be used to advantage to reduce image display latency during system start-up and channel changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,356 discloses a video signal encoding system that includes apparatus for segmenting encoded video data into transport blocks for signal transmission. The transport block format enhances signal recovery at the receiver by virtue of providing header data from which a receiver can determine re-entry points into the data stream on the occurrence of a loss or corruption of transmitted data. The re-entry points are maximized by providing secondary transport headers embedded within encoded video data in respective transport blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,375 discloses a method for processing a field of image data samples to provide for one or more of the functions of decimation, interpolation, and sharpening. This is accomplished by an array transform processor such as that employed in a JPEG compression system. Blocks of data samples are transformed by the discrete even cosine transform (DECT) in both the decimation and interpolation processes, after which the number of frequency terms is altered. In the case of decimation, the number of frequency terms is reduced, this being followed by inverse transformation to produce a reduced-size matrix of sample points representing the original block of data. In the case of interpolation, additional frequency components of zero value are inserted into the array of frequency components after which inverse transformation produces an enlarged data sampling set without an increase in spectral bandwidth. In the case of sharpening, accomplished by a convolution or filtering operation involving multiplication of transforms of data and filter kernel in the frequency domain, there is provided an inverse transformation resulting in a set of blocks of processed data samples. The blocks are overlapped followed by a savings of designated samples, and a discarding of excess samples from regions of overlap. The spatial representation of the kernel is modified by reduction of the number of components, for a linear-phase filter, and zero-padded to equal the number of samples of a data block, this being followed by forming the discrete odd cosine transform (DOCT) of the padded kernel matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,617 discloses a system and method for transmitting logmap video images through telephone line band-limited analog channels. The pixel organization in the logmap image is designed to match the sensor geometry of the human eye with a greater concentration of pixels at the center. The transmitter divides the frequency band into channels, and assigns one or two pixels to each channel, for example a 3 KHz voice quality telephone line is divided into 768 channels spaced about 3.9 Hz apart. Each channel consists of two carrier waves in quadrature, so each channel can carry two pixels. Some channels are reserved for special calibration signals enabling the receiver to detect both the phase and magnitude of the received signal. If the sensor and pixels are connected directly to a bank of oscillators and the receiver can continuously receive each channel, then the receiver need not be synchronized with the transmitter. An FFT algorithm implements a fast discrete approximation to the continuous case in which the receiver synchronizes to the first frame and then acquires subsequent frames every frame period. The frame period is relatively low compared with the sampling period so the receiver is unlikely to lose frame synchrony once the first frame is detected. An experimental video telephone transmitted 4 frames per second, applied quadrature coding to 1440 pixel logmap images and obtained an effective data transfer rate in excess of 40,000 bits per second.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,819 discloses a video compression system having odd and even fields of video signal that are independently compressed in sequences of intraframe and interframe compression modes. The odd and even fields of independently compressed data are interleaved for transmission such that the intraframe even field compressed data occurs midway between successive fields of intraframe odd field compressed data. The interleaved sequence provides receivers with twice the number of entry points into the signal for decoding without increasing the amount of data transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,742 discloses an apparatus and method for processing video data for compression/decompression in real-time. The apparatus comprises a plurality of compute modules, in a preferred embodiment, for a total of four compute modules coupled in parallel. Each of the compute modules has a processor, dual port memory, scratch-pad memory, and an arbitration mechanism. A first bus couples the compute modules and host processor. Lastly, the device comprises a shared memory which is coupled to the host processor and to the compute modules with a second bus. The method handles assigning portions of the image for each of the processors to operate upon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,484 discloses a system and method for implementing an encoder suitable for use with the proposed ISO/IEC MPEG standards. Included are three cooperating components or subsystems that operate to variously adaptively pre-process the incoming digital motion video sequences, allocate bits to the pictures in a sequence, and adaptively quantize transform coefficients in different regions of a picture in a video sequence so as to provide optimal visual quality given the number of bits allocated to that picture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,334 discloses a method of removing frame redundancy in a computer system for a sequence of moving images. The method comprises detecting a first scene change in the sequence of moving images and generating a first keyframe containing complete scene information for a first image. The first keyframe is known, in a preferred embodiment, as a “forward-facing” keyframe or intraframe, and it is normally present in CCITT compressed video data. The process then comprises generating at least one intermediate compressed frame, the at least one intermediate compressed frame containing difference information from the first image for at least one image following the first image in time in the sequence of moving images. This at least one frame being known as an interframe. Finally, detecting a second scene change in the sequence of moving images and generating a second keyframe containing complete scene information for an image displayed at the time just prior to the second scene change, known as a “backward-facing” keyframe. The first keyframe and the at least one intermediate compressed frame are linked for forward play, and the second keyframe and the intermediate compressed frames are linked in reverse for reverse play. The intraframe may also be used for generation of complete scene information when the images are played in the forward direction. When this sequence is played in reverse, the backward-facing keyframe is used for the generation of complete scene information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,513 discloses a first circuit apparatus, comprising a given number of prior-art image-pyramid stages, together with a second circuit apparatus, comprising the same given number of novel motion-vector stages, perform cost-effective hierarchical motion analysis (HMA) in real-time, with minimum system processing delay and/or employing minimum system processing delay and/or employing minimum hardware structure. Specifically, the first and second circuit apparatus, in response to relatively high-resolution image data from an ongoing input series of successive given pixel-density image-data frames that occur at a relatively high frame rate (e.g., 30 frames per second), derives, after a certain processing-system delay, an ongoing output series of successive given pixel-density vector-data frames that occur at the same given frame rate. Each vector-data frame is indicative of image motion occurring between each pair of successive image frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,646 discloses a method and apparatus for enabling a real-time video encoding system to accurately deliver the desired number of bits per frame, while coding the image only once, updates the quantization step size used to quantize coefficients which describe, for example, an image to be transmitted over a communications channel. The data is divided into sectors, each sector including a plurality of blocks. The blocks are encoded, for example, using DCT coding, to generate a sequence of coefficients for each block. The coefficients can be quantized, and depending upon the quantization step, the number of bits required to describe the data will vary significantly. At the end of the transmission of each sector of data, the accumulated actual number of bits expended is compared with the accumulated desired number of bits expended, for a selected number of sectors associated with the particular group of data. The system then readjusts the quantization step size to target a final desired number of data bits for a plurality of sectors, for example describing an image. Various methods are described for updating the quantization step size and determining desired bit allocations.
The article, Chong, Yong M., A Data-Flow Architecture for Digital Image Processing, Wescon Technical Papers: No. 2 October/November 1984, discloses a real-time signal processing system specifically designed for image processing. More particularly, a token based data-flow architecture is disclosed wherein the tokens are of a fixed one word width having a fixed width address field. The system contains a plurality of identical flow processors connected in a ring fashion. The tokens contain a data field, a control field and a tag. The tag field of the token is further broken down into a processor address field and an identifier field. The processor address field is used to direct the tokens to the correct data-flow processor, and the identifier field is used to label the data such that the data-flow processor knows what to do with the data. In this way, the identifier field acts as an instruction for the data-flow processor. The system directs each token to a specific data-flow processor using a module number (MN). If the MN matches the MN of the particular stage, then the appropriate operations are performed upon the data. If unrecognized, the token is directed to an output data bus.
The article, Kimori, S. et al. An Elastic Pipeline Mechanism by Self-Timed Circuits, IEEE J. of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 1988, discloses an elastic pipeline having self-timed circuits. The asynchronous pipeline comprises a plurality of pipeline stages. Each of the pipeline stages consists of a group of input data latches followed by a combinatorial logic circuit that carries out logic operations specific to the pipeline stages. The data latches are simultaneously supplied with a triggering signal generated by a data-transfer control circuit associated with that stage. The data-transfer control circuits are interconnected to form a chain through which send and acknowledge signal lines control a hand-shake mode of data transfer between the successive pipeline stages. Furthermore, a decoder is generally provided in each stage to select operations to be done on the operands in the present stage. It is also possible to locate the decoder in the preceding stage in order to pre-decode complex decoding processing and to alleviate critical path problems in the logic circuit. The elastic nature of the pipeline eliminates any centralized control since all the interworkings between the submodules are determined by a completely localized decision and, in addition, each submodule can autonomously perform data buffering and self-timed data-transfer control at the same time. Finally, to increase the elasticity of the pipeline, empty stages are interleaved between the occupied stages in order to ensure reliable data transfer between the stages.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,646 discloses an improved technique for decoding wherein the number of coefficients to be included in each sub-block is selectable, and a code indicating the number of coefficients within each layer is inserted in the bitstream at the beginning of each encoded video sequence. This technique allows the original runs of zero coefficients in the highest resolution layer to remain intact by forming a sub-block for each scale from a selected number of coefficients along a continuous scan. These sub-blocks may be decoded in a standard fashion, with an inverse discrete cosine transform applied to square sub-blocks obtained by the appropriate zero padding of and/or discarding of excess coefficients from each of the scales. This technique further improves decoding efficiency by allowing an implicit end of block signal to separate blocks, making it unnecessary to decode an explicit end of block signal in most cases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,018 discloses a process and data processing system for compressing and expanding structurally associated multiple data sequences. The process is particular to data sets in which an analysis is made of the structure in order to identify a characteristic common to a predetermined number of successive data elements of a data sequence. In place of data elements, a code is used which is again decoded during expansion. The common characteristic is obtained by analyzing data elements which have the same order number in a number of data sequences. During expansion, the data elements obtained by decoding the code are ordered in data series on the basis of the order number of these data series on the basis of the order number of these data elements. The data processing system for performing the processes includes a storage matrix (26) and an index storage (28) having line addresses of the storage matrix (26) in an assorted line sequence.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,246 discloses a circuit and method for decompressing video subsequent to its prior compression for transmission or storage. The circuit assumes that the original video generated by a raster input scanner was operated on by a two line one shot predictor, coded using run length encoding into code words of four, eight or twelve bits and packed into sixteen bit data words. This described decompressor, then, unpacks the data by joining together the sixteen bit data words and then separately the individual code words, converts the code words into a number of all zero four bit nibbles and a terminating nibble containing one or more one bits which constitutes decoded data, inspects the actual video of the preceding scan line and the previous video bits of the present line to produce depredictor bits and compares the decoded data and depredictor bits to produce the final actual video.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,242 discloses an image signal processing system DPCM encodes the signal, then Huffman and run length encodes the signal to produce variable length code words, which are then tightly packed without gaps for efficient transmission without loss of any data. The tightly packed apparatus has a barrel shifter with its shift modulus controlled by an accumulator receiving code word length information. An OR gate is connected to the shifter, while a register is connected to the gate. Apparatus for processing a tightly packed and decorrelated digital signal has a barrel shifter and accumulator for unpacking, a Huffman and run length decoder, and an inverse DCPM decoder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,375 discloses a method for processing a field of image data samples to provide for one or more of the functions of decimation, interpolation, and sharpening is accomplished by use of an array transform processor such as that employed in a JPEG compression system. Blocks of data samples are transformed by the discrete even cosine transform (DECT) in both the decimation and interpolation processes, after which the number of frequency terms is altered. In the case of decimation, the number of frequency terms is reduced, this being followed by inverse transformation to produce a reduced-size matrix of sample points representing the original block of data. In the case of interpolation, additional frequency components of zero value are inserted into the array of frequency components after which inverse transformation produces an enlarged data sampling set without an increase in spectral bandwidth. In the case of sharpening, accomplished by a convolution or filtering operation involving multiplication of transforms of data and filter kernel in the frequency domain, there is provided an inverse transformation resulting in a set of blocks of processed data samples. The blocks are overlapped followed by a savings of designated samples, and a discarding of excess samples from regions of overlap. The spatial representation of the kernel is modified by reduction of the number of components, for a linear-phase filter, and zero-padded to equal the number of samples of a data block, this being followed by forming the discrete odd cosine transform (DOCT) of the padded kernel matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,486 discloses a high definition video system processes a bitstream including high and low priority variable length coded Data words. The coded Data is separated into packed High Priority Data and packed Low Priority Data by means of respective data packing units. The coded Data is continuously applied to both packing units. High Priority and Low Priority Length words indicating the bit lengths of high priority and low priority components of the coded Data are applied to the high and low priority data packers, respectively. The Low Priority Length word is zeroed when high Priority Data is to be packed for transport via a first output path, and the High Priority Length word is zeroed when Low Priority Data is to be packed for transport via a second output path.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,178 discloses a video signal encoding system includes a signal processor for segmenting encoded video data into transport blocks having a header section and a packed data section. The system also includes reset control apparatus for releasing resets of system components, after a global system reset, in a prescribed non-simultaneous phased sequence to enable signal processing to commence in the prescribed sequence. The phased reset release sequence begins when valid data is sensed as transmitting the data lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,790 to Nakayama discloses a reverse quantizer to be used with image memory. The inverse quantizer is used in the standard way to decode differential predictive coding method (DPCM) encoded data.]
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,371 to Savatier et al. is directed to a de-quantizer having an adjustable quantizational level which is variable and determined by the fullness of the buffer. The applicants state that the novel aspect of their invention is the maximum available data rate that is achieved. Buffer overflow and underflow is avoided by adapting the quantization step size the quantizer 152 and the de-quantizer 156 by means of a quantizational level which is recalculated after each block has been encoded. The quantization level is calculated as a function of the amount of already encoded data for the frame, compared with the total buffer size. In this manner, the quantization level can advantageously be recalculated by the decoder and does not have to be transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,380 to Sakagami et al. discloses an image compression apparatus suitable for use with still images such as those formed by electronic still cameras using solid state image sensors. The quantizer employed is connected to a memory means from which threshold values of a quantization matrix for the laminate signal, Y, and rom 15 stores threshold values of a quantization matrix for the crominant signals I and Q.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,002 to Guichard et al. disclosed an apparatus for coding/decoding image signals in real time in conjunction with the CCITT standard H.261. A digital signal processor carries out direct quantization and reverse quantization.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,383 to Chen et al. describes an apparatus with a pseudo-constant bit rate video coding achieved by an adjustable quantization parameter. The qunatization parameter utilized by the quantizer 32 is periodically adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of code bits generated by the coding circuit. The change in quantization parameters for coding the next group of pictures is determined by a deviation measure between the actual number of code bits generated by the coding circuits for the previous group of pictures in an estimate number of code bits for the previous group of pictures. The number of code bits generated by the coding circuit is controlled by controlling the quantizer step sizes. In general smaller quantizer step sizes result in more code bits in larger quantizer step sizes result in fewer code bits.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,113,255 to Nagata et al; 5,126,842 to Andrews et al; 5,253,058 to Gharavi; 5,260,782 to Hui; and 5,212,742 to Normile et al are included for background and as a general description of the art.
Accordingly, those concerned with the design, development and use of video compression/decompression systems and related subsystems have long recognized a need for improved methods and apparatus providing enhanced flexibility, efficiency and performance. The present invention clearly fulfills all these needs.